Page 1 of 6 Chronic Exposure and the Risk of Building Antibiotic Resistance in Rural Communities of the Developing World A Rashid 1 and MS Coyne 2 * 1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Rawalpindi Pakistan 2 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, USA Introduction The benefits of antibiotic use cannot be overemphasized; they certainly outweigh the harm associated with their side effects. However, when antibiotics are abused or overused, that harm increases manifold with no benefit. Global antibiotic production for human use is a $40 billion-a- year industry. Approximately 250 to 300 tons year of antibiotics are used in human medicine and a much greater amount of antibiotics are produced for livestock and aquaculture. To fulfill ever increasing human demands, huge amounts of antibiotics are produced worldwide, with projections for additionally expanded production in the future [1]. It is estimated that global antibiotic use will rise to 105,596 tons year –1 in 2030, with China the largest consumer followed by the US, Brazil, Mexico, and India [2]. This increase reflects their broadened use for treating genuine contamination identified with human well-being and welfare, and for advancing and developing disease aversion in domesticated animals. In particular, low- and middle-income countries showed increased antibiotic use between 2000 and 2015 (+39%) which suggests an alarming projection for a 200% rise globally by 2030 [3]. Off-label Prescription of Antibiotics Environmental exposure to antibiotics is increasingly unavoidable in developing countries. Antibiotic use is valuable for livestock survival and if their use were denied a shortage in food products originating from livestock would be expected. Unsanitary conditions at farmhouses exist in rural areas where antibiotics *Corresponding author: Mark Coyne, Professor of Soil Microbiology, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington Kentucky USA. Received Date: March 8, 2019 Published Date: March 22, 2019 ISSN: 2641-6379 DOI: 10.33552/WJASS.2019.01.000521 World Journal of Agriculture and Soil Science Mini Review Copyright © All rights are reserved by Mark Coyne This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License WJASS.MS.ID.000521. Abstract Antibiotic resistance is a global issue, not least the question if resistance is intrinsic, acquired, or adaptive. The current scenario demands investigations to detect resistance in environments from the urban/rural nexus. The complexity of antibiotic resistance in the environment is linked with the characteristics of recipient compartments in various environmental systems. Much research focuses on resistance in point sources (hotspots) of exposure, but after release the risk of antibiotics affecting humans is quite complex. Dispersion, dilution, and concentration reduction are part of the natural cycle required to examine the fate of antibiotics in the environment. Antibiotic residues at any stage threaten public health no matter if they cause acute exposure or because of much lower concentrations persisting in sediments, soils, irrigation waters, groundwater, aerosols, and produce where they may reflect chronic exposure. In either case, human exposure is undeniable with differential impact. In view of local constraints and unintended feedback we propose a research agenda to enhance understanding the future of exposure intensity and the fate and synergistic effect of antibiotics released into the environment in developing resistance. We advocate the need to investigate sub-lethal antibiotic concentrations and human populations aimed at limiting the acute and chronic public exposure to antibiotic residues and resistant microbes from soil and water among occupational groups and rural population inhabiting resource-limited settings. Keywords: Epidemiology; Toxicity; Antibiotic reservoirs; Residue persistence